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Free Market Fairness

John Tomasi

Bleeding-heart libertarianism

It is the defining statement of 'bleeding-heart' or market-democratic libertarianism engaging Rawls on his own terms.

Synopsis

A work of political philosophy fusing libertarian economic liberty with a social-justice concern, arguing free markets can satisfy fairness.

Core passage idea

Paraphrase · Modern copyrighted work

Robust economic freedom and a genuine commitment to social justice can be reconciled within a single liberal framework.

It challenges the assumption that caring about the poor requires abandoning strong market liberties.

To avoid a bubble

Pair with John Rawls, A Theory of Justice.

Reading note

Read it as an academic synthesis seeking middle ground between Hayek and Rawls, tracking how it blends both.

Best paired with

John Rawls, A Theory of Justice

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